Jurassic Coast - A walk through time

The striking Exmouth coastline.

Visitors to the stunning coastline that is the Jurassic – or World Heritage –
Coast, England’s only natural world heritage site stretching for 95 miles
from Swanage in the east to Orcombe Point in Exmouth in the west, take a walk
through time as the slope of the rock strata reveal 185 million years of the earth’s
geological history, covering the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

A huge contrast in the rocks can be experienced in just a few miles, from the brilliant
red cliffs at Sidmouth to the chalk cliffs of Lyme Regis. The coastline includes
dinosaur footprints, a fossil forest and one of the most famous building stones
in Britain. The area’s important fossil sites, along with its classic coastal
geomorphologic features, have contributed to scientific studies for the past 300
years. The diverse environmental conditions, particularly the high levels of shallow
water sediments, has led to an incredible range of species in the form of plants,
insects, benthic and pelagic marine invertebrates, fish, marine and terrestrial
reptiles and mammal skeletal remains and rare occurrences like soft tissue preservation.•
The Geoneedle, at Orcombe Point in Exmouth, is the gateway to the Jurassic Coast.

Is it any wonder that the coastline was nominated as a World Heritage Site, linking it to
other famous world landmarks including the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef
and the Taj Mahal?

Other British World Heritage Sites include the city
of Bath, Hadrian’s Wall, the Tower of London and Stonehenge. These are all
cultural sites; the Dorset and East Devon Coast is England’s first natural
site. A World Heritage Site is “a natural or cultural feature or area which
has such universal value that it is regarded as the heritage of all mankind”.

Criteria

The nomination of the Dorset and East Devon Coast was based on two of the four UNESCO
criteria for natural World Heritage Sites:

They should be outstanding
examples representing major stages of the earth’s history, including the
record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of
landforms or significant geomorphic or physiographic features, and

The nomination was drawn up by Dorset and Devon County
Councils in conjunction with the Dorset Coast Forum. The councils set up a technical
working group and steering group to help with the nomination. They also had to
ensure that there was a management plan and that the site was suitably protected
and that the boundaries were clear. This was done by consulting with the landowners
along the route.

In February 2001 an official inspection of the coastline
and the nomination was made by UNESCO.

Recognised

The coast received designation in December 2001, when the UNESCO World Heritage Committee
met in Helsinki, Finland. Now, this amazing coastline has been recognised as having
a real global importance, giving the potential to bring extra benefits to the
tourism industry.

This geological ‘walk through time’ is expected
to attract higher-spending visitors to stay longer in the area and to visit outside
the usual summer period. Some of the ideas that have been thought of include specialist
breaks, education and learning groups and World Heritage centres.